Choose a lens from below and analyze the piece -
Historical Approach –( Click on this--->) What is Literary Criticism.pptxPreview the document this
approach examines the period in which the literature was produced to see what prevailing ideas of
the time might have affected what was written. This kind of critic might ask: What were the
prevailing ideas of the time? How does the text reflect the intellectual climate then?
Reader Response Criticism – This criticism places value on the response of diverse readers to a
text. Reader Response criticism holds that a reader plays an active part in constructing a text,
bringing all of his or her experiences to the act of reading. This kind of critic might ask: What does
this work remind me of? What meaning does it have for me?
Cultural/Gender Criticism – Cultural/Gender Criticism comes from the school of Postmodern
Criticism. Postmodernism is an aesthetic, literary, political or social philosophy, which was the basis
of the attempt to describe a condition, or a state of being, or something concerned with changes to
institutions and condition, as postmodernity. In other words, postmodernism is the "cultural and
intellectual phenomenon". Cultural/gender critics look solely at ideas of gender and culture within
the piece of literature. This also ties into feminist theory. This kind of critic might ask: What are the
prevailing ideas of a particular culture within this text? How is African American culture defined
within this text? How are men and women portrayed within this text.
Psychological Criticism – This approach also comes from the era of postmodernity, but this
approach explores the psychological aspects of literature and the characters within the pieces. Its
proponents focus on the characters’ motives and examine their backgrounds and relationships with
others as a way of explaining the meaning of a text. This kind of critic might ask: What are the
hidden motives of the main character? How are the main character’s personality traits affected by
his or her background?
Sample Solution